Trinity and Westhill prepare to meet on the gridiron

Scott Ericson

Updated 10:18 pm, Thursday, September 19, 2013

Last September, the Trinity Catholic football team knocked off city rival Westhill 28-10, using the game as a springboard to one of the best seasons in recent memory and earning a trip to the Class S state playoffs.

The Crusaders went on to defeat Stamford and claim the city title, something both they and Westhill have their sights set on.

This year's version of the Crusaders, under a new coach, hopes for a similar outcome.

"Obviously, the inner-city rivalry means a lot to us," Trinity Coach Donny Panapada said. "The kids are looking forward to the opportunity. The kids all know each other, some went to middle school together so, it's big game."

Both schools are coming off Week 1 losses -- Westhill 27-14 to Norwalk and Trinity 63-26 to Sheehan in the FCIAC-SCC Challenge.

The Vikings were dominated on the offensive line and know the key to picking up their first win of 2013 will be in the trenches.

A task that will not be easy for the Vikings, who have been shuffling lineman around since the preseason began thanks to multiple injuries up front.

"We need to block," Westhill Coach Frank Marcucio said. "I think they didn't block well against Norwalk. We just played sloppy as a team and we need to clean it up. This is our fifth different offensive line because of injuries. I am hoping that if we can solidify our front five we will have some success."

Norwalk running back Clifford Joseph ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings and Trinity's Randy Polonia will look to replicate that success this week.

"We need to get Randy going but we need to get the entire offense going," Panapada said. "We really need to get our defense going and eliminate any big plays."

Meanwhile, the Crusaders were hurt by both the passing and running attacks of Sheehan, allowing quarterback Justin Lange to complete 14-of-19 passes for 258 yards, including two touchdowns while letting up 186 yards rushing to back Rafael Dominguez.

Fargnoli is back after serving a suspension for his part in a fight in a game against Stamford last Thanksgiving.

Trinity will be looking for Polonia to find holes on the ground, hoping to will create passing opportunities for quarterback Connor Amann. The senior signal caller will likely be looking for find wideout Neno Merritt, who just might be the most dangerous athlete on the field if he can get the ball into his hands.

After the loss to Norwalk Marcucio was planning on giving his team Saturday off but he said his players insisted on practicing at 7:30 a.m.

"I was going to give them Saturday off but they wanted to come in and practice," Marcucio said. "I think that says that our guys are getting our message loud and clear."

Trinity was also back on the practice field early Saturday morning and Panapada feels his players are taking the right attitude when it comes to refocusing after a loss.

"The kids responded well," Panapada said. "We went right back to work Saturday and the kids responded how you would like them to coming off a loss. We just need to get better and be more physical."